Diatsune
by Cel Sopiro
Summary: Amy struggles to confront her feelings amidst love and hate, dreams and reality, and Sonic and Eggman.


Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog or any of the characters in the franchise.

* * *

"Sonic!"

He turns around, surprised by the sound of his own name. I quickly rushed towards him, wrapping my arms around his chest. I could feel a volcano of joy erupting within me.

I squeezed tightly, not wanting to ever let go of this ecstasy. It was like a high that was sending me over the edge, making my heart beat as fast as it could from excitement.

A hand strokes my hair ever so gently. I look upwards, finding a smile painted beautifully on him; I could tell he was just as happy as I am, if not more. His beautiful jade eyes sparkled brightly in reflection; it made him seem almost like an angel.

"I love you." He replied softly, saying the words that I've dreamed of hearing for so long. My heart stopped momentarily from the euphoria, unable to keep up with the waves of joy flooding within me. It was too much, too much all at once. I wanted to faint from the numbing sensation all over.

Everything slowly fades into white. All I could feel now was absolute purity.

It was like being in heaven.

* * *

 _Tick, tock._

Amy slowly opened her eyes. Her ear flickers from the ticking, her blurry vision gradually coming into focus.

 _Tick, tock._

She carefully narrowed her eyes, trying to search for the source of the noise. Her eyes spotted a rounded clock on a wooden table beside her. It was almost at five and a half in the morning.

She yawned, gently rubbing her drowsy, heavy eyes. She places her body to an upright sitting position. She gazed at the rippling blonde light shining luminously from her window, lightening up the room with a beautiful, golden aroma.

She looks down for a moment, staring at her lightweight duvet. She sighs, her expression slowly turning to a frown. She flips over her blanket, preparing to get out of bed.

* * *

"Breaking news! It appears that the bald, egg-shaped madman is at it again, this time striking directly at the heart of Station Square!"

Robots consumed the city, fighting off the G.U.N. agents that tried to stop them. Eggman could be seen on his Egg Mobile on top of a large building, laughing at the chaos below.

"However, it appears that the renowned blue hero, Sonic the Hedgehog, is nowhere to be seen. Will his friends be able to push back the vicious, metallic terror?"

The camera points to a red echidna, smashing a bulky robot into pieces with his fists. He pauses momentarily, noticing the camera pointed directly at him. He smirks, and begins stretching his arms in front of it. A robot carefully snuck up behind him, gradually approaching closer to the oblivious echidna.

"Oh no, watch out!"

Just before the robot could grab him, a hammer swings swiftly at it, destroying the robot into pieces. Knuckles immediately turns around, surprised by the sudden action behind him. A pink hedgehog scowls at him, slowly raising her hammer again.

* * *

"Pay more attention, Knuckles! This isn't a photo-shoot!"

I notice another robot charging aggressively towards us. I swing my hammer immediately, flinging the minion far off into orbit.

"Hey, don't blame me that they wanted to see my body!"

I rolled my eyes. I surveyed our surroundings, seeing a big group of them slowly approaching us. I raised my hammer again, gritting my teeth.

"There's too many of them, we won't be able to hold out much longer."

I glanced behind me. Knuckles cracked his fists, readying himself in a fighting stance.

"It's fine! We don't need that blue showoff every time!"

I suddenly paused by his mentioning

Sonic.

It reminded me of that dream last night, the one where I was with him at last. I remembered those feelings of joy and happiness by being with him…and that terrible feeling afterwards when I crashed back to reality.

 _Sonic._

I slowly lowered my head, my eyes wandering in thought. I almost didn't notice the robot behind me until it grabbed the end of my hammer. I gasped, and quickly began resisting.

"Agh! Knuckles!"

I glanced over to where Knuckles was. Two robot arms were grabbing him by his wrists, rendering him unable to fight. He struggled aggressively, but I could tell their grip was strong.

A hovering noise catches my attention. I turn my head to the other side, noticing Eggman slowly descending towards us with an evil smile.

"Now now, there's no need to keep fighting." He taunted. "I've won, and you've lost. Face it: without that blue vermin, there's nothing that can stop me!"

* * *

The camera focuses on the trio as Eggman laughs in front of the helpless echidna and hedgehog.

"Oh no! It appears that Sonic's friends are overwhelmed! How will they overcome this predica-oh, what's that noise?"

The camera shifts upwards, pointing towards the sky. It zooms towards a red and grey plane approaching speedily towards them. A blue figure stood directly on top of the wings with his arms crossed.

"It's him! It's Sonic the Hedgehog!"

Sonic smirks. He jumps off the plane, spinning into a ball, and begins attacking the robots.

 _Clank!_

 _Smash!_

One by one, the robots became overwhelmed by the singular hero. He smashed the robots without trouble, freeing his friends from their predicament. Amy takes a moment to admire her rescuer, and then continues her attack as Knuckles grudgingly fights alongside them. In a matter of minutes, the invasion was stopped, and a defeated Eggman growled angrily at the heroes.

"Don't let this get over your heads! I'll be back, and when I do, you won't be able to stop me!"

Eggman flies away in irritation. Sonic turns around towards his friends.

* * *

"Is everyone okay?"

He directs his attention to Tails.

"I'm good." Tails nods. Sonic smiles, and turns his head to Knuckles

"Yeah," Knuckles huffed, "we could've handled this on our own, not like we needed your help or anything." He crosses his arms and looks away. Sonic stares blankly at him.

"You're welcome." Sonic replied sarcastically. He turns his head towards me, his eyes showing concern.

I could feel my cheeks beginning to burn.

"I-I'm uhh, I'm okay, heh," I slowly rubbed my neck, "thanks for asking."

He slowly smiles, a gentle calmness appearing in his expression.

"I'm glad."

My cheeks became redder. He cares, he really cares. I could tell by the way he acts, the way he talks. I just wish…

"Alright, job's well done everyone. Until the next time omelet decides to come back." He turns his head to Tails. "Let's go Tails."

Tails nods again, and the two of them begin to walk away. Knuckles huffed again before walking off in the opposite direction. I stared at Sonic like a balloon floating away from a child.

"S-Sonic!"

He stops, turning around in surprise. I look around nervously, my hands clasping together.

"Can I uhh, talk to you for a moment?"

He briefly stares at me, then slowly smiles. He places a hand on Tails' shoulder, whom nods, gesturing his agreement to wait. Sonic then began to walk towards me. My eyes couldn't help but absorb the beauty of his body.

His soft, tender fur.

His smooth, slender body.

I gulped.

"What's up?" He asked, stopping just short near me. I could feel my body tremble from the excitement of his proximity, my head lightening up from the speeding blood flow.

"I-I uhh, I w-wanted to ask s-s-something, from y-you." I stuttered like a child struggling to speak. It was so easy before, when I demanded him to be with me. To marry me. But for some reason, when I wanted it to be genuine, for it to be sincerely from his heart, it made me shake all over. My brain functions were quickly being shut down in the flurry of uncertainty, of wanting, of wishing.

"Sure, what is it?"

I gulped again. _Come on Amy, you can do it. What's the worst that can happen?_

 _I know what's the worst that can happen! He'll say no!_

 _You don't know that for sure! Just try, and see what he says!_

"I-I-I-I w-w-would…" I paused. _Man! What does it take to say just a couple of words?!_

"I-I w-would r-r-really like it if…" I looked down at my feet, chuckling from my childishness. _Come on! You can do it!_ I looked up at him again, his expression turning both perplexed and amused. I take in a deep breath, my chest beginning to close in on itself. "…if I c-could g-go out on a date with you."

I stare at him, analyzing every detail of response. His eyes widen up a little, his mouth slowly opening in realization. His eyes turn to the side below us, and he slowly closes his mouth, directing his eyes back at me again.

 _He'll say no._

I clenched my teeth. I wanted this, I really did. It was my dream ever since I met him. He's so charming and heroic. I wanted him to say yes.

 _He'll say no._

He takes in a deep breath and exhales. He takes a step towards me, my heart skipping a beat in response. His expression slowly turns into sadness.

"I'm sorry Amy, really, but I just don't see you that way." He sighs. "I hope you understand."

 _I told you._

I let out a sigh, my chest weighing a million tons inside of me. It felt as if my heart had caved in on itself, causing my body to become heavy all over, as if they had all lost support and were now functioning entirely on their own.

I closed my eyes. There was nothing I could do. I wanted his sincerest answer, and that's what I got.

"Okay." I replied. I slowly opened my eyes, and was greeted by a sad yet comforting smile. He slowly nods, and turns around back to Tails. The two of them walked together, heading off into the distance.

My fists began to clench.

* * *

I threw myself on the bed, groaning. I glared at the clock beside me, its ticking becoming more annoying by every second. I turned the alarm back on, and slid myself in the blanket, grunting as I pulled the sheets on top of me.

I turned to the side, dragging the blanket close to me. I let out a heavy breath as I eventually closed my eyes.

* * *

A dark, ominous hall.

I sat on my throne, resting my cheek ever so smugly on the top of my hand. I held a red leash on the other, restraining a ferocious, jet black dog by my side; a hellhound from the pits of hell, conjured by the most twisted and demented feelings inside of me.

My clothes were handcrafted to my most extreme pleasure. A long black dress that stretches long to my heels, ripped in a disorderly fashion at the bottom. A black collar that fits perfectly around my neck with sharp, silver spikes intruding from it; a broken heart dangled from the center, linked by a short, metallic chain. A pitch black tiara rested on my head, decorated by ruby, blood red jewels all around it.

A knight in black slowly entered the hall, walking towards me on the long, scarlet carpet that lavishly complemented the absolute darkness around it.

"My queen."

Two guards slowly appeared from behind him, walking towards me with a captive, blue hedgehog between them. My eyes widened both in lust, and in revulsion.

Closer and closer, his pathetic figure slowly came into shape. I could tell he was uncomfortable by the thick ropes that tightly secured him. When he became close enough, the guards shoved him onto his knees, resulting in a helpless grunt. He looked up towards me, his demonic eyes filled with terror.

I slowly stood up, experiencing a familiar and grotesque feeling simply by the sight of him. The hellhound immediately stood up on alert, his bloodshot eyes glaring menacingly at the source of my hate. I slowly walked down the steps, and with each step, I inched closer and closer towards him.

I stopped just short of him, the hound growling intensely at him. Those feelings inside of me began to erupt viciously. No longer were they confined by the cages of society. No longer were they trapped by the shackles of morality.

I glared at him, staring at those pitiful shamrock eyes. There was a sense of hatred so pure and intense that I could feel my blood almost literally boiling inside me. My fists clenched so violently that the nails dug fiercely into my palms. There was nothing more I wanted in the world than that bitter sweet blood.

His blood.

* * *

A loud, obnoxious ringing.

I yelled almost instantaneously, flailing my arm at the source of the noise. A smashing noise followed immediately after, but all I cared about was that the ringing had stopped. I sighed in content, my eyes slowly opening up.

I eventually raised myself from the bed, stretching the numbness away. As my eyes wandered around, they spotted a destroyed mess on the floor, revealing remnants of what was previously a fully functional clock.

I grumbled to myself.

* * *

I strolled sullenly down the street, trying to get my mind off of this morning. A broken alarm clock means I have to get a new one. A new alarm clock means I have to go shopping. I have to go shopping because I got angry, not because I wanted to. I groaned; this might be the first time that I didn't want to go outside.

It wasn't my fault that alarm was as obnoxious as it was. Wrong place, wrong time is my reasoning. I'd like to see the clock argue that in court.

Stupid little-

"Miss Rose!" A voice called from behind me. I turned around in response, only to have a camera jammed close at my face.

"W-Wha-"

"What are your thoughts about the incident that occurred last night?" The reporter asked.

I paused. Incident? There was no incident. Was there?

 _Was there?_

Did I sleepwalk and do something without knowing?

No…

Did I?

"W-what incident?" I asked in confusion, trying to not appear as if I had committed a crime unknowingly.

"You know, Sonic's kidnapping!"

I stared blankly at her.

 _No…_

"W-what?" I asked again. I hoped it wasn't true.

Maybe I kidnapped him.

Maybe I tied him in my basement.

Maybe…

The reporter points towards a TV screen behind a display. I look towards it, spotting Eggman grinning wildly at us with a blue hedgehog tied up to wall shackles in a cell behind him.

"Hahaha! You silly fools!" He yelled in joy. "While you were all asleep, I proceeded with my most diabolical scheme to date: kidnapping your ever so loving hero! How does it feel being the loser, dear Sonic?"

Eggman glanced over at Sonic. Sonic gritted his teeth.

"Grrrhhh! You're not getting away with this, Eggface!"

Eggman turns his head back at the camera, his grin widening even more so.

"Without your hero, you are all doomed! Surrender now, and I'll _consider_ not turning your beloved city into my empire's amusement park."

Just as he finished, a large shadow casted from above us. I turned my head upwards, searching for the source of it. My jaws slowly dropped from the menacing sight.

A gigantic, red and yellow airship.

The Egg Carrier.

I let out a breath of astonishment, staring in shock at the massive behemoth.

So it wasn't me after all.

* * *

 _Knockknockknockknockknockknockknock-_

"Tails?! Are you in there?!"

I continued knocking ceaselessly at the door. He had to be in his workshop, he had to be. The door eventually opens, revealing Tails with a surprised look on his face.

"Eggman's carrier is flying right above Sta-"

I look over behind him. Knuckles was sitting on a stool near a table, staring at me with maps and blueprints lying next to him.

"We were just talking about how to get to the carrier. Want to join?"

* * *

It was a delicate situation. G.U.N. wasn't about to attack the airship as they knew Sonic was in it; at the same time, their air defenses on board the carrier – according to Tails' schematics – seemed tight enough that there was no way for us to land on top of it using the Tornado.

Tails and Knuckles' planning was a bit, unorthodox. They knew what to do onboard the airship: destroy the anti-air equipment, locate you-know-who, have Tails land the Tornado on top of it, and then have us lifted back to safety. The problem they had was at the beginning of the plan: how to actually get on the airship.

We thought about it for a while, but none of us could think of anything that would quickly get past the air defenses. Eventually, I suggested an idea out of the blue, as silly as it seemed, just for the sake of time. Tails stroked his chin, amused by the suggestion. Knuckles on the other hand, was flabbergasted.

"No!"

"But-"

"No!"

"It-"

"No!"

"We-"

"No!"

"We can-"

"No!"

"We can do it!"

Knuckles rolled his eyes, slumping his namesake on the table. Tails scribbled quickly on a piece of paper; the best I could assume was that he was calculating the trajectories. Knuckles gave me a stubborn stare.

"You know that this is nuts, right?" He contested. I scowled at him.

"Fine: you come up with a better idea."

He raises his fist to challenge me, but I knew he had nothing to offer. He mutters to himself, crossing his arms in disbelief. I look over at Tails, sighing.

"What do you think?" I asked.

Tails places his protractor on top of the paper, carefully calculating the measurements. He eventually looks up at us, his eyes widening up in enthusiasm.

"I think it could work." He answers.

"THINK?!" Knuckles yells back. "I'm not betting my chances on 'think'!"

Tails stares blankly at him. He takes in a moment to breathe in before exhaling every last ounce of patience left.

"I _believe_ it could work." He carefully rephrases his answer. Knuckles stares at him for a moment before eventually sighing.

"Fine, but if I get any spinal injuries…" He points his fist at me. "…I'm sending the hospital bill to you!"

I rolled my eyes in disbelief.

"Alright, fine." I huffed in impatience. "Can we get this over with now?"

Knuckles crosses his arms again, and slowly nods at us. Tails rests his elbows on the table, clasping his hands together. He takes in a long, thoughtful breath, then exhales it slowly. I could tell whatever was next, it was pretty important.

"As for Sonic…"

Knuckles' body tenses up. I, on the other hand, loosened a bit. Tails' eyes expressed nothing but worry.

I looked to the side.

To be honest, I didn't want to think about it.

For some reason, part of me just didn't want to rescue him. The thought of him still made me a bit angry. The less I saw of him, the calmer I was.

The better I was.

"I say we leave him there: he can manage on his own." I blurted out, not knowing if it was in sarcasm or not. Tails scowled ferociously at me; I could tell he very much disapproved. Knuckles, however, quickly gestures towards me.

"Finally, someone who gets it!" Knuckles bends closer to Tails with a sadistic grin. "That arrogant motor-mouth deserves some time off," he slams his fist on the table, "so let him have it!"

"Knuckles," Tails responds calmly, "last time I checked, Sonic saved you when you were in trouble."

"I didn't need saving!" He crosses his arms and looks away. "At least, I didn't ask for it…"

Tails grunts in disbelief.

"Really?! _Neither_ of you want to rescue him?!"

Knuckles grunts. I bite my lip.

I knew Knuckles wasn't going to do it. He'd rather beat him senseless for the countless times Sonic nagged him, knowing his short-fused temper.

I…didn't _want_ to do it.

I hoped I didn't have to.

But it seems that someone eventually needs to.

Besides, I couldn't think about living with myself if I chose not to do it. What if I forced Knuckles to do it? Knowing him, he could accidently screw up. Or 'accidently' screw up. Or 'accidently' fight him to the death. All because of my poor little feelings.

I sighed.

"Fine, I'll do it."

Tails exhales in relief.

"Alright," he replies with determination in his eyes, "let's get started then."

* * *

I hurried back at the workshop, having retrieved my hammer from home. The city was in absolute chaos. The G.U.N. soldiers tried their best to fend off the metal monstrosities, but I knew it was a matter of time before they were going to be overwhelmed. I became thankful that I lived far away from the mayhem.

I spotted Tails setting two of those rounded objects, his airplane moved just outside of his hangar. Knuckles waited impatiently at a nearby bench.

"You still sure these would work?" He asks. By the looks of Tails expression, I could tell Knuckles was asking him that for a couple million times now.

 _"Yes, I'm sure."_ Tails replied with equal impatience. He notices me approaching them, and smiles.

"Ah, just in time." He works on them with his wrench for a short while before standing up, his expression beaming up with pride. He looks at the both of us and grins.

"They're ready."

Knuckles stood up, nervously walking towards them. I took a few steps forward, staring at the equipment.

They were the ones that were going to help us get on the carrier.

Springs.

Heavily modified jump springs that were capable of launching a rock into orbit, or in our case, into an airship. Knuckles gulps, staring uneasily at them.

"So uhh, how much force do we need to put on those things?" He asks.

"A simple jump should be enough." Tails replies. "Don't worry, I've calculated everything. All you need to do is give it a little push and they should do the rest."

Tails picks up a walkie talkie.

"Remember to keep these with you; it's the only way I can know when to finally get the Tornado over there."

I briefly pulled out my transceiver, and Knuckles did the same. We placed them back carefully, and took a moment to ready ourselves for the launch.

I walked up around the left one, standing just short behind it. I take in a deep breath, then exhale. I slowly bent my knees a little then jumped on top of the spring. As I landed on it, I could hear something elastic bounce from below, then immediately recoil back at me.

I tried my best not to scream as I was launched into the sky.

* * *

The speed of it was tremendous. My heart was beating insanely without stop. Gusts of wind blew endlessly at me as gravity slowly began pulling my downwards. I was approaching the Egg Carrier at such a rapid speed; I secretly made a prayer that Tails hadn't mistakenly messed up his calculations by even a decimal.

Yet in all of the fear and excitement, I was somehow able to wonder for a moment, if this was how he felt when he was running. It felt pure, free, limitless.

My heart skipped a beat from the overwhelming high.

If this was how he felt, I didn't blame him for his passion to run.

It was exhilarating.

* * *

The wooden ground approached closer, and closer.

Closer.

 _Thack!_

I grunted, resting my hands in front of me to weaken the impact. The landing wasn't as bad as it could've been; I might have scraped my hands and knees a little, but I'll make due.

I stared around the ship's deck, noticing familiar pathways everywhere. A doorway leading to the pool; another leading to his office. I knew which one to go through; all I needed was time.

I could hear a scream far off behind me. I turn my head around, witnessing a red blob shaking around in fear. Just as he came close to crash, he spread his arms apart, and quickly began to glide. I smirked, thanking that he had remembered his ability in time. However, his speed was too fast, and soon he found himself heading straight towards a wall.

 _Bam!_

I clenched my teeth in fear. I hurried up towards him as he laid on his back, his eyes spinning in every direction.

"Knuckles?"

He chuckles, pointing his fist at me.

"A-Amy? W-who is your sister here? Is she a twin?"

I sighed. I quickly helped him up, trying to get us moving as fast as possible.

"We've got to hurry before Eggman takes over the city. Come on!"

He places a hand on his head and shakes it, eventually snapping out of it. He looks around the deck, spotting several air turrets from afar. He slowly smirks.

"Alright, I've got the turrets." He turns his head towards me, giving me a thumbs up. "You go and find that blue pain-in-the-butt. Good luck."

I nodded, and ran towards the nearby door behind us. He turns his head back at the towers, and proceeds to walk towards them, cracking his knuckles.

* * *

 _Smash!_

A robot seemingly disintegrates before my eyes, its pieces flying off everywhere. I strolled down the hall, my sight focused solely on spotting any danger.

Something flickers at the corner of my eye. I swing my hammer towards it, flinging another robot to a nearby wall. It shatters into pieces, crumbling into a broken mess. I continued forward without hesitation.

Something pulls at my hammer. I gasp, turning my head turning towards it. A giant robot clutched it tightly, rendering it useless. It towered menacingly at me, seemingly victorious.

I felt a sudden surge flowing through me.

I clenched my teeth, gripping the hammer even more firmly. I yelled, and swung it to the side with all of my strength. The robot is immediately tossed off of it, and slams directly into the wall, shattering it beyond repair.

I take in a moment to recuperate, panting. I look at my side, staring down at the corridor.

It won't be long before I get there, but I hoped Knuckles was doing okay.

* * *

"Aaagh!"

Knuckles punches through the turret, causing it to emit a yellow, flickering surge before exploding. He pants from exhaustion, then slowly smirks. He looks around him, seeing all of the remaining towers destroyed by his fists alone.

He takes out his walkie talkie, and presses its side button.

"Tails, I took out all of the turrets. It should be clear for landing."

 _Bzzt._

 _"Gotcha, Knuckles. I'm readying up the Tornado now. Find the control panel and let me know once you're there."_

 _Bzzt._

He presses it again.

"Got it."

He places the transceiver back, and runs towards the door nearest to his left.

* * *

I opened the door, gazing around the familiar holding area. It had a heavy, damp aroma, as if all of the oxygen had been sucked out of the room.

I began to walk forward, clutching my hammer in my hand. I searched each cell one by one, finding each to be desolated and empty. Finally, when I reached the far end of the room, I spotted him in shackles, his eyes and ears at full attention towards me.

Surprised.

"Amy…?"

I quietly chuckle. I took out my transceiver and held the side button.

"Tails, I found Sonic. We'll be at the runway soon."

 _Bzzt._

 _"Got it, Amy."_

 _Bzzt._

I returned the transceiver and spotted the electronic lock nearby. I grip my hammer and swing towards it, smashing the lock to pieces. The cell doors immediately slide open. I slowly walked towards him, my eyes locked at his, and stopped just nearby.

I stared at him for a moment, just to ponder about his predicament. There he was, all tied up in front of me.

Helpless.

I could do anything I wanted with him, anything at all. Taunt him, propose to him, scold him, you name it.

But at this particular moment, just by seeing him again, the only thing I wanted do is to free him from his restraints.

I sighed, taking out the key for the shackles. I then proceeded to unlock them.

 _Click._

Sonic rested his arm below, slowly shaking its numbness away.

 _Click._

His other arm fell, and he began rubbing his wrists. I gazed at him with concern; he seemed well, but I needed to hear it from his own words.

"Are you okay?"

He looks up at me, and slightly smiles.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

I sigh in relief. He stares down at his hands, his wrists having been reddened from the restriction. After a moment, he looks up at me again, his eyes showing sincerity.

"Thank you."

It brought a smile to my face.

The ship suddenly shakes. We fumbled around for a moment, trying to catch our balance. My transceiver immediately goes off.

 _Bzzt._

 _"Guys, we have a small problem!"_

Sonic looks in surprise.

"Knuckles?"

 _"The ship's going down!"_

 _Bzzt._

I clenched my teeth in worry. I quickly grabbed his hand.

"Come on, I'll explain everything on the way."

His expression was very much confused, but he eventually nodded, and we both hurried towards the door.

* * *

 _Moments earlier…_

A knuckle presses firmly onto the wall. Another presses firmly above it. Knuckles pulls himself upwards, resting his arm on the platform above. He surveys his surroundings, seeing nothing more than boxes and storage containers.

He grumbles to himself.

He pulled himself onto the ledge, and walks around the desolated sky deck. He suddenly spots a lever placed just far off into the distance. He smiles, taking out the transceiver. He pushes the button again.

"Tails, I found the carrier's control panel."

 _Bzzt._

 _"Great! Okay, so I need you to direct the ship away from the city; try getting it as far into the ocean as possible."_

 _Bzzt._

Knuckles places the walkie talkie back. He slowly began approaching the lever.

"Hello, old friend…" A low-tuned voice growled behind him.

Knuckles' eyes widened, and he turns around in surprise. Just before he knew it, Eggman tackles him with his Egg Mobile, sending him flying into the air. Knuckles falls to the ground, groaning in pain. He glares at Eggman, his lower lip cut from the impact. Eggman grinned. Knuckle spat an ounce of blood from his mouth, slowly getting up with an evil smile.

An altercation immediately ensues. The two of them began pounding at each other, with neither of them gaining any ground. The mobile machine became dented with holes; Knuckles became more and more bruised by the second, but it appeared as if it was only serving him with more adrenaline to fight with.

Eggman slammed his machine at Knuckles, only to have him push against it with his fists. He tried moving Eggman back, but the machine was forcing him at a deadlock.

Knuckles glances over at the lever, gritting. He needed to tilt it to get the ship moving towards the sea, but at this rate he wouldn't be able to go anywhere near it.

He suddenly gets an idea. As Eggman continued to push, Knuckles slowly changes his position so as to have them directed towards the lever. Once he felt that Eggman was using enough force, he immediately lets go and dodges to the side with Eggman flinging past him. Due to his momentum, Eggman wasn't able to stop in time, and he slams into the lever, pushing it as far off as possible.

 _Snap!_

He collapses on the floor, and the ship immediately shakes. Knuckles stares at the panel, only to find that it had been broken off from the sheer momentum. Eggman slowly rises again, and realizes what had happened.

"You bafoon!" He yells angrily. "Look at what you've done!"

Knuckles points his fist at him, growling. "Zip it, you!" He retorts angrily. He quickly pulls out his walkie talkie and presses firmly at its side.

"Guys, we have a small problem!" He stared in front of him, noticing the ship slowly beginning to dip forward as it speeded off into the sea. "The ship's going down!"

Eggman groans to himself. He points his finger at him, and drew a menacingly evil glare.

"You haven't seen the last of me!"

Knuckles points his knuckles back at him.

"Bring it on anytime!"

Eggman then began flying away. Knuckles sighed, wiping the blood from his lip. He smirks, the adrenaline still pumping steadily within him. As the ship began increasing its speed though, he turns his head to the exit, and quickly started running towards it.

* * *

Amy and Sonic barged out of the door, stumbling towards the runway. Tails lifts his head from the cockpit, surprised.

"Sonic! Amy!" He shouts, slowly smiling. He suddenly searches around the area. "Where's Knuckles?!"

Sonic looks around nervously as Amy rests her arms on the side of the plane, panting.

They suddenly hear a faint yelling.

The three of them turn their heads towards the source.

Far off into the distance, they could see Knuckles as a tiny red spot nearing closer towards them

They continued to stare at him for a moment. Suddenly, their transceivers go off.

 _Bzzt._

 _"GOOO!"_

 _Bzzt._

They immediately snap back at it. Amy quickly climbs onto the right wing, holding on to the makeshift handles that were made to support their grip. Sonic rushes to the opposite side, also grabbing onto the handgrips.

The airship began to tilt down even more.

Tails fumbles around for the ignition key. He eventually manages to grab it, only to find that the plane was beginning to move on its own.

Downwards.

Noticing what was going on, they all scream at once.

Knuckles pushes himself off of the deck, extending his arms to glide.

They were now at perpetual free-fall.

The plane nosedived directly downwards, shaking violently from the turbulence. Tails forces himself to counter the gravity's pull, and finally manages to turn the ignition key.

The engine lets out a roaring sound, and the propellers began to spin.

As they plummeted into oblivion, the wings of the plane began to counteract with the wind. The plane rose slightly from its perpendicular slant, gliding almost at the same angle as the echidna.

It wasn't long before the propellers were spinning at their normal rate, and the plane steadily approached a 90 degrees angle.

Tails breathed heavily from the shock, and inspected at his side. Amy rested her head on the wing, her grip remaining firm and solid. He turns his head to the other side.

Sonic was laughing maniacally in frenzy.

* * *

"…and as we can see here, the wreckage of Eggman's airship could be seen miles away from Station Square, having collapsed far off into the ocean."

The camera zooms in closely at the torn hull and debris.

"Thankfully, the airship did not come into contact with the city; however, the sinister and evil doctor still remains at large. I wonder what evil plans will he bring next…stay tuned for more information."

The video switches off to a commercial break.

* * *

Knuckles and Tails toasted to each other, and both began drinking their soda from their champagne glasses. I stared half-eyed at them, still trying to process their actions.

They sure have some quirky celebration habits.

It was a small party at Tails' workshop, made to celebrate Eggman's defeat earlier today. Tails and Knuckles were laughing together, exchanging jokes about the madness that ensued in the Egg Carrier. I sipped from my glass and smiled, a lighthearted atmosphere surfacing all around us.

"Hey…" A gentle voice calls beside me. I turn my head towards it, noticing Sonic's charming smile. "How are you?"

I thought about that moment when we were spiralling from the sky.

"I'm alive," I chuckle, "and you?"

He giggles. "I can still feel the adrenaline rush from the aftermath. That was some ride down, huh?"

I stared back at Tails and Knuckles and smirked.

"It really was."

I take in another sip, momentarily reflecting about everything. It seemed so wild, how one thing led to another.

"I wanted to thank you again," I turned my head towards him, seeing sincerity in his expression, "for saving me. I really appreciate it."

I gazed into his sweet, green eyes. For some reason, they no longer made him seem like an angel, nor as some sort of a demon: just as the regular hero himself.

I loved it that way.

"Hey, we all did it together." I replied, taking a breath and exhaling. "I'm just glad that you're alright."

He smiles. It wasn't like any of his usual smirks, but rather, it felt sincere. Genuine. He looks down for a moment, his eyes wandering around. He seems to be thinking about something.

"You know, I was thinking about inviting everyone to the beach tomorrow." He looks up at me, his eyes sparkling from the light. "It would really make me happy if you could join us there."

I blinked, staring at his eyes for a while. I started feeling light all over, and slowly begin to smile.

"Sure, I'd love to."

He grins. We gazed at each other for a moment, the room seemingly brightening around us.

It felt absolutely wonderful.


End file.
